


Identity

by BazinMousqueton



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mortal, Bookshop plot stolen from a vague memory of once watching You've Got Mail, Business Rivals to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Happy Ending, Identity Porn, M/M, Nemeses to Lovers, SO MUCH superhero/supervillain sexual tension, Superhero/supervillain oral sex, Superheroes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:27:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26919583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BazinMousqueton/pseuds/BazinMousqueton
Summary: Joe receives a challenge from his business rival Nicky di Genova, a blow job from his nemesis Doctor Night, and a dinner invitation from his online match Nicolo.(AKA: the nemeses-to-lovers and business-rivals-to-lovers superhero/You've Got Mail fusion you had no idea you needed!)
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 25
Kudos: 54





	1. Night Pounced

Joe crouched on the parapet of a flat roof, arms resting on his thighs. The narrow sidestreet below was lit by moonlight and neon. Five people loitered in the shadows, not acknowledging each other. He scratched his beard and resettled his mask. Shouts, loud music and laughter drifted in from the main street; the noises of people enjoying their night out. A siren sounded in the far distance, moving away. 

He turned his head, catching a whiff of a familiar cologne, stood and stepped back from the parapet. Was he being watched? He prowled along the roof, the nape of his neck prickling. A van turning into the sidestreet pulled his attention back. The van parked and opened its doors, the loiterers transformed into an orderly queue and business started. The van's driver ushered the first person inside, closed the door quietly and circled to lean against the bonnet and wait. She crossed her ankles and lit a cigarette.

A man dressed in black, hood up and face fully covered by a mask, dropped from a fire escape stair to land with a thud in the street in front of her.

_Doctor Night._

The queue scattered. Joe threw a grappling hook onto the opposite roof and tugged the rope until the hook snagged. He yanked again, checking it would hold, vaulted over the parapet and swung into the street, dropping down behind Doctor Night. Night spun.

"Time for you to move on," Joe said. His modulator transformed his voice into a low growl.

"Captain Light," Night's voice was quiet, almost breathy. "Surely you're not defending drug addicts?"

"I defend everyone who needs it." The van provided injection kits and gave people a sterile place to take drugs. It was, strictly speaking, illegal. It also saved more lives than Joe ever had.

He paced forward. Night bent his knees and curled his fists. Joe checked on the van. The driver nodded at him. She'd sent everyone away -- they'd agreed on a second location in advance -- and was about to climb behind the wheel and get out of there. Good. That left Joe free to teach Doctor Night a lesson and maybe get some information out of him.

"What are you planning?" Joe asked. "First the soup kitchen, now this. Don't you have worse things to do?"

Night advanced, feinted with his right and swung at Joe's head with his left. Joe ducked and kicked out, catching Night but slowing himself down. Night punched him in the solar plexus. He gasped for breath, staggering sideways. Night pulled a baton from his belt and struck, narrowly missing, forcing Joe to retreat. 

His back hit the wall. 

Night pounced. He used both hands to hold the baton across Joe's throat, hard enough to pin Joe to the wall but not so hard Joe choked. He leaned close. Joe's heart pounded. The full length of Night was pressed against him: hard, muscled and warm. Their masks clashed. They stared into each other's eyes. Night's were pale and intense. He dropped the baton and splayed one hand across Joe's ribs to keep him in place. 

"What if this were my plan?"

Joe's breathing hitched. Heat from Night's hand spread through his chest. Joe leant into it, forcing his right leg between Night's. Night made a sound he couldn't interpret -- surely not a gasp? -- and ground against Joe's thigh. 

Both their cocks were hard.

Joe stopped breathing.

Reality came crashing back. Joe was losing a backstreet fight against a man who robbed banks and threatened community projects. A man he hated. He elbowed Night in the ribs, shouldered him aside and fled.

* * *

Joe's bookstore -- All And More -- was busy enough the following morning to keep his thoughts from Doctor Night. 

The shop emptied after the lunchtime rush. 

"Coffee all round?" Booker said, heading towards the kitchenette out back. 

Joe leaned on the counter and Nile collapsed into the beanbags in Reading Corner. They looked at the chaos around them -- books strewn across the floor; half-empty display tables; and a puddled juice box spillage in Middle Grade. Even the train set running around the top of the bookshelves had come off its rails.

"How did that happen?" Nile asked, pointing.

"Combined little-sister/big-brother attack," Joe said. The teenager had lifted the toddler onto his shoulder and encouraged her to play Godzilla. "It was the cutest thing."

"Do you want ladder duty or mop duty?"

"I'll re-shelve and mop up if you do the display tables and put together an order list. Booker can deal with the derailment."

They moved into action smoothly, each used to working around the others. Joe ambled around, picking up books, his mind free to wander. He flashed back to Night pinning him against the wall and froze, clutching the book he carried to his chest and remembering Night's hand pressing into him. He swallowed. He'd been in Night's power and he hadn't minded at all. In fact, he'd--

" _Joe?_ "

He looked up to find both Nile and Booker staring at him in concern. 

"Are you ok?" Nile said.

"I'm fine." 

They glanced at each other, frowning. 

"Dude, Nile had to say your name five times," Booker said. "What's going on?"

Joe scrubbed his hand across his face, sighing. He couldn't lie to Nile and Booker, but he also couldn't tell them the truth. They didn't know about his other identity and even if they did he'd have trouble explaining the encounter with Doctor Night.

"I didn't sleep well last night," he said; true, as far as it went. 

"You need a distraction," Nile said. 

"No!" He knew where this was going.

"When did you last go on a date?"

The question was rhetorical -- they all knew he'd barely dated since opening the shop. He claimed running a business took up all his time; another half-truth. He bent to gather the last two books, checked their titles and crossed the shop to return them to their places.

"Seriously, Joe, let me set up a dating profile for you. You don't even need to go on dates -- you can just chat."

She looked so eager, so keen to help him. Turning her down seemed cruel. And yet--

"No, Nile. I'm not looking for anyone else."

"Have you met someone?" Booker asked, immediately suspicious. 

"No, no." Booker knew him too well. Now he really did need a distraction -- to distract Booker, not himself. "Ok, Nile, set it up."

She crowed, pulled out her phone and perched on the counter. Booker slouched next to her, offering suggestions and occasionally laughing at something she'd entered.

"First name only," Joe said, shaking his head as he fetched the mop. Was he going to regret this? "Yusuf, not Joe. I don't want any of our customers to find me."

"You're going to need a photo." Nile held up her phone, showing a picture of him in his favourite grey linen shirt, sleeves rolled up, taken at a restaurant the week before. "You look good in this one."

"Crop my head out."

"Fine, Mr Secret Identity."

He tensed, but Nile hadn't even looked up. She didn't mean anything by the remark. He finished clearing up, ignoring Nile's comments and Booker's jeers as they finished his profile. Nile padded over when it was done and took his phone to download the app and log him in. 

"Here you are, _Yusuf_. All set up." The app pinged. She raised an eyebrow. "Someone wants to chat to you already."

The shop door opened, its bell ringing. Joe reclaimed his phone and switched it to silent as he greeted the customer, the first of the after-school rush. He didn't have a chance to think of anything except books until closing time.

* * *

Joe and Booker locked up, Nile having raced off to meet friends straight after closing time. They walked together, in comfortable silence until they turned the corner. Booker halted, staring up. Joe followed his gaze. The old department store had been boarded up for years; now the builders had moved in and it had been covered in new signs. 

"Coming soon: Nicky's Book Superstore," Booker read. 

Joe's stomach turned over. Every time Nicky di Genova opened a shop he put every independent bookseller in the area out of business. He drew people in with bargain prices on bestsellers, then kept them there spending money in the cafe and buying more books. His shops were open late, seven days a week, and he paid his staff minimum wage to keep overheads down. 

"I can't compete with that," Joe said. 

"Pah! It's not a competition. People come into All And More because they know we've chosen the books with love. They want to hear our recommendations and to talk about their favourites; they don't want to save a couple of quid and have a latte while they browse."

"Of course they do. _Everyone_ wants to save a couple of quid and have a latte."

"I hate latte."

"You don't count. You're French."

Joe started walking again, keeping his head down. Booker ran a few steps to catch up.

"You're not going to give up the shop?" he asked.

Joe stopped again, mouth dropping open. What would he be without the shop?

"Never," he said, certain. "Nicky di Genova will have to pry it from my cold, dead hands."

* * *

**HeftyDaddy:** Hey

 **HappyChappie42:** Hey

 **SugarLips:** Hey!

 **Fisting?!:** Heyy

 **VenusAsABoy:** Hey

Joe put his head in his hands. Why had he let Nile talk him into this? The app pinged again.

 **Nicolo:** You have great taste in shirts

Joe clicked through to Nicolo's profile and found a photo -- head cropped off -- of a man wearing a shirt almost identical to Joe's. He huffed a laugh and thumbed out a reply.

 **Yusef:** You're basically complimenting yourself

 **Nicolo:** I've had a hard day. I deserve compliments

 **Yusuf:** You have great taste in men

 **Nicolo:** Now who's complimenting himself?

 **Yusuf:** You didn't seem to be getting around to it

 **Nicolo:** I like to take my time

 **Yusuf:** Good to know

 **Nicolo:** But I'm sure you deserve compliments too

 **Yusuf:** I've certainly had a difficult enough day

 **Nicolo:** Would you like to tell me about it? I'm a good listener

 **Yusuf:** Another self-compliment?!

 **Nicolo:** A promise

Joe sat back on his sofa, tempted. He'd been alone so long he'd forgotten what it was like to have someone to talk to. He bit his lip, thinking it through, came to a decision, and picked his phone back up. He'd had plenty of practice in keeping his identities secret; he knew where to glide around the truth and what not to mention. Whoever Nicolo was, there could be no harm in getting to know him.


	2. Opening Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joe receives a challenge from his business rival Nicky di Genova, a blow job from his nemesis Doctor Night, and a dinner invitation from his online match Nicolo.

**Nicolo:** Morning, sunshine!

 **Yusuf:** It's morning already?

 **Nicolo:** I bet you're cute when you're sleepy

 **Yusuf:** Yeah, my bedhead is everything

 **Yusuf:** ~~We should meet~~

Joe dropped his phone into the pillow, groaning. He and Nicolo had been flirting for a month and still hadn't met. He'd typed and deleted the words so many times predictive text now suggested "should meet" every time he used the word "we". He closed his eyes. _We._ Were he and Nicolo a "we"? 

His phone beeped again.

 **Nicolo:** I need to get to work. Don't forget I'll have my phone switched off today 

Joe woke up a little more. Nicolo was giving a big presentation at work; he'd been talking about it all week. Joe was a little hazy about Nicolo's job -- some sort of manager? -- but he knew this was important to him.

 **Yusuf:** Knock 'em dead!

* * *

Joe put on sunglasses to hide the dark circles under his eyes and picked up a triple espresso on the way to work. He stumbled down the high street, limping slightly and keeping his head down. Doctor Night had keep him busy the previous night. He'd followed the man's trail for hours and had been kneeling in an empty warehouse, holding a scrap of fabric to his nose, when armed police had arrived. His getaway had been less than graceful. 

The fabric had smelt of Doctor Night's cologne.

The screech of feedback through a PA system sliced along the street, echoing from the shopfronts. He stopped, swearing profusely, and looked up. Balloons, bunting and a huge crowd surrounded the old department store. A tall man silhouetted in front of the main doors winced, holding a microphone away from him, and gestured apologetically to the crowd. They laughed. 

Joe's headache intensified. 

"Welcome to the newest branch of Nicky's Book Superstore," the man said, with a slight Italian accent Joe refused to find charming. "I'm Nicky and I'm going to give every one of you a free book for joining me this morning."

The crowd cheered. Joe's brow knotted as he calculated how big his overdraft would be if he gave freebies to this many people. He didn't need bribes, he told himself. His customers were loyal.

He ambled closer, wanting to get a proper look at Nicky di Genova, and slipped through the crowd. Di Genova was facing the other direction, bending down to speak to a girl in green leggings and purple tutu skirt.

"Do we have dinosaur books?" he said. "We have a whole department of dinosaur books! Promise me you'll find the best one and give it a good home?"

The girl nodded. Di Genova jumped to his feet and turned. 

Joe staggered. 

He took off his sunglasses for a better view. Di Genova might be the most beautiful man he'd ever seen. Broad shoulders, expressive hands, dark hair falling into his eyes, perfect jawline and the nose of a Roman emperor. 

Di Genova pushed his hair back and Joe's knees buckled. The crowd surged towards the door, sweeping him along. 

"I want this to be the most successful bookshop in the city," di Genova said. "With your help we're going to crush the competition."

The crowd cheered again. Joe came to his senses. He halted, ignoring the complaints of people jostling to get past, put his sunglasses on and turned away. He looked back over his shoulder only once, just before he turned the corner. Di Genova was looking straight at him.

* * *

  
Joe's shop was busier than normal, although they made fewer sales. Lots of customers came in carrying _Nicky's Book Superstore_ bags. Joe did his best to pretend it didn't bother him.

"He's going to do _what_ to us?" Nile asked when he told her about the opening.

"Crush us." Joe said, a traitorous part of his mind producing a NSFW vision of a naked di Genova straddling him.

"You should have gone in for your free book," Booker said, "and picked the most expensive illustrated special edition in the place."

"Like he'd even notice," Joe said. "It'd be pocket change for him."

A crash from Young Adult made them all jump. A teenager bowed his head, hiding behind curtains of hair, and turned away. His backpack sent another pile of books tumbling to the floor and he curled into himself as if he wanted to disappear. Joe rushed across.

"Don't worry, I knock books off the tables all the time," he said, bending to pick them up. "It doesn't hurt them."

The teenager shot Joe a grateful look. He dropped into an ungainly crouch, all knees and elbows, and fumbled to gather the books surrounding him. He pushed them into Joe's hands, bobbed to his feet and zig-zagged away. Joe, still on the floor, held his breath until he reached the door without bumping into anything. The door opened, bell jangling. The teenager ran straight into the new customer, bounced off, and ran down the street trailing apologies.

The customer in the doorway swayed and grabbed the door frame for balance. Joe stared at him in disbelief.

_Nicky di Genova._

"Are you alright?" Nile said.

Di Genova brushed himself down. "I'm fine. Are people always in such a hurry to leave your shop?"

Joe stood. He handed the stack of dropped YA novels to Nile and squeezed her arm.

"I've got this," he said. 

Di Genova tilted his head. "I saw you earlier. Who are you?"

"I'm the competition." Joe smiled. "Welcome to All And More, the best bookshop in the city."

Di Genova looked him up and down, gaze lingering on Joe's crotch, before surveying the shop. 

"It's very small," he said.

Joe hated the antiquated businessman-machismo that turned everything into a dick-measuring competition, but he had to admire di Genova's thrust. The obvious ripostes -- _size isn't everything_ or _the best things come in small packages_ \-- would be a tacit admission that he was playing, and losing, by di Genova's rules.

"We don't have as much space for dinosaurs, true," he said. "I prefer to live in the twenty-first century."

Di Genova tightened his lips into a thin line, acknowledging the parry. "We shall see who is better suited to the times. I believe it will be me."

He nodded, turned and swept out. Joe watched him leave, unable to keep his gaze from straying downwards. The man had the attitude of a prize dick and the buttocks of a Roman God.

"I refuse to let that arse put me out of business," he said.

* * *

He returned to the warehouse that night. He suspected Doctor Night had led him there on purpose, although he didn't know what that purpose could be. He climbed a cast iron column and pulled himself onto a wide beam, the metal cold under his hands. He tucked his limbs in, making sure he couldn't be seen from below, and lay in wait. 

Doctor Night crept in close to midnight. He circled, prowling from shadow to shadow. Joe tensed, waited for Night to walk underneath the beam, and jumped him. Night went down and rolled free. Joe vaulted to his feet. They danced around each other, both looking for an opening. Joe found one first: Night's foot hit a hollow in the concrete, pulling his balance slightly off. Joe pounced. He forced Night backwards, arm across his throat, until he could shove him against the wall. His pulse thrashed in his ears. Night arched his back, pushing his groin into Joe's. Joe grabbed his wrists and held them to the wall above his head. 

"What do you want?" Joe asked.

"Let me go and I'll show you." Night's voice modulator didn't disguise the rasp in his voice. Desire flooded through Joe. He released Night.

Night dropped to his knees and unbuttoned Joe's fly. Joe fell forward, forearms slamming into the wall. He rested his masked forehead on them, moaning. Night stroked Joe's cock through his boxers. He pushed himself against Night's hand. Night stripped off his gloves and cast them aside, revealing skin as pale as moonlight.

"Close your eyes," Night said. 

Joe obeyed. Night dragged his boxers down and palmed Joe's cock. Joe gasped, hips jerking. He heard the click of clasps being released and a soft noise as Night placed something on the floor. Wet heat engulfed Joe's cock. He screwed his eyes tighter, colours dancing across the inside of his eyelids, realising Night had taken him into his mouth. Night swirled his tongue across Joe's cockhead and Joe had to draw on every jot of willpower he possessed not to come immediately. 

Night sucked, hard. Joe moaned. He felt an answering moan from Night against his cock, followed by the sensation of Night's lips moving slowly down the length of Joe's cock. He felt the tightness at the back of Night's throat ease enough for his cockhead to slip past. Night's lips pressed into Joe's groin. His tongue rubbed along the bottom of Joe's cock. His throat tensed as he swallowed. 

" _Oh._ Oh, that's good," Joe said. It might have been a growl even without the voice modulator. With it, it sounded deep and rough. A full-body shiver ran through Night. He pulled back a fraction and rammed himself onto Joe's cock. One hand grasped Joe's arse and pulled him in; the other cupped Joe's balls. Heat raced up Joe's spine. His breathing hitched. He shifted his weight, making sure he was properly balanced, before speaking again. It seemed Night had a weakness for his voice and Joe wasn't above exploiting that.

"How deep can you take me?" he asked.

Night whimpered, the sound muffled by Joe's cock. He moved his head, changing the angle and allowing Joe to slide a little deeper. The tightness and the sheer intimacy of getting so far inside Night's guard set off tingles of anticipation. Night gagged and pulled off, panting for breath. Joe's cock ached. He opened his eyes and glanced down. Night's mask lay on the floor to his side. He'd drawn his hood as far forward as it would go, fully screening his face from above. 

Joe could step back. Two steps and he'd be certain to see Night's face before he could put his mask back on. Two steps to find out who Night really was. 

Night leant forwards again, lips soft and tongue urgent. Joe shut his eyes. Night swallowed him inch by inch, relaxing his throat and making needy little sounds that cut through Joe's self-control. Once Night had him lodged deep in his throat he began fucking himself on Joe's cock, his pace accelerating and his sounds turning into obscene, wet moans. Joe held himself as still as he could, leaving Night in control. Night moved both hands to the top of Joe's thighs, fingers digging in. His mouth felt hot. His lips rubbed up and down Joe's shaft. Joe clenched his fists. His cock pounded the back of Night's throat. He struggled to find any words.

"Yes... _yes!_ That's... You're..."

He tipped his head back, clinging to his last shred of restraint and determined not to say the word "perfect." Night spoke, a scatter of syllables that could have been a curse, lost around Joe's cock. He sped up. Joe's balls tightened. Thrills shot up his spine. His cock throbbed. He tensed. 

"I'm..."

Night pulled back just enough for Joe to come in his mouth not down his throat. Joe -- who'd done the same more often that he could remember, wanting the taste of his partner on his tongue -- groaned as he came, his thighs trembling. He let his head fall forwards onto the pillow of his arms and gulped in air. 

Night slid sideways, out from under Joe. Joe's eyes flicked open, adrenaline pulling him back to awareness. Night grabbed his mask, pushed himself to his feet and sprinted away, leaving Joe with his arse bare and his heart racing. He turned his back to the wall, slid down to the floor and dropped his head to his knees.

* * *

He got home and hid his mask in its drawer, having got through the rest of his patrol on autopilot. He'd made a decision: whatever that had been, it could never happen again. He needed a normal social life; he needed to date people who didn't wear masks or lurk in abandoned warehouses.

He found his phone and gathered his courage.

 **Yusuf:** We should meet

He hit send before he could talk himself out of it. His phone pinged almost immediately. 

**Nicolo:** I'd like that. Dinner tomorrow evening?

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments make me very happy :)


End file.
